Health Emergency Declared After Death Toll From Hepatitis A Outbreak Rises To 15
San Diego County is now taking measures -- such as power-washing the streets with bleach and distributing portable hand-washing stations -- to combat the outbreak.
Los Angeles Times:
After 15 Hepatitis Deaths, San Diego County Declares Local Health Emergency
San Diego County declared a local health emergency Friday night, adding a new level of urgency to a hepatitis A outbreak that has hit hardest among the homeless population, killing 15 people and hospitalizing hundreds. The declaration by Dr. Wilma Wooten, the region’s public health officer, bolsters the county Health and Human Services Agency’s ability to request assistance from the state and provides legal protections for a slate of actions that began unfolding across the city earlier in the day. (Sisson, 9/2)
WBUR:
San Diego Declares Health Emergency Amid Hepatitis A Outbreak
Dr. Wilma Wooten, the San Diego Public Health Officer who signed the declaration into law on Friday, says the sanitation precautions are modeled after similar programs in other Southern California cities - including Los Angeles. "We know that L.A. has had no local cases of hepatitis A related to the strain that we're seeing here in San Diego," she said. "It makes sense that, if they're doing it there and they haven't had any cases, it could be beneficial here as well." (Johnston, 9/3)
Los Angeles Times:
Lancaster Street Vendor May Have Exposed Consumers To Hepatitis A
Fruit sold by a Lancaster street vendor who was infected with hepatitis A might have exposed consumers to the virus, which can cause serious liver disease, Los Angeles County public health officials said Monday in a statement. The possibly contaminated produce was sold at a stand at West Avenue L and 20th Street West in mid-August, officials said. (Christensen, 9/4)